BSF Jawan Returns to India Weeks After Being Detained by Pakistan Rangers

Purnam Kumar Shaw, was detained by Pakistan on 23 April when he crossed the border in Punjab’s Ferozepur district.

Purnam Kumar Shaw, centre, with other BSF jawans after he was handed over by Pak Rangers via Attari-Wagah border in Punjab, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. He was apprehended by the Rangers on April 23 from along the Indo-Pak international border in Punjab.

(Photo: PTI)

Border Security Force (BSF) constable Purnam Kumar Shaw, who was apprehended by Pakistan on 23 April when he inadvertently crossed the border in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, returned to India on Wednesday, 14 May, via the Attari-Wagah border.

Shaw had crossed the border a day after the Pahalgam terror attack.

A press release by the BSF, issued on Wednesday, confirmed that he returned from Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border at 10:30 am.

"With the consistent efforts of the BSF through regular flag meetings with Pakistan Rangers and other communication channels, the repatriation of the BSF constable has become possible," the BSF said in a statement.

According to his wife Rajni Shaw, the last time she spoke to him was on 22 April at around 8 pm. “He said that he was going to sleep after dinner as he had his duty. We did not speak again after that,” she recalled. The following day, she received a call from one of his colleagues.

“He asked me, ‘When did you last talk to PK?’ I said, ‘Last night.’ Then he said that PK had gone for duty in the morning and Pakistan had kidnapped him. I did not believe it. But he said that this is the only information we have right now.”

Rajni Shaw

In the days following his disappearance, Rajni travelled first to Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and later to Ferozepur, seeking updates and support from authorities. “We were getting assurances from every side that talks are going on and he will return,” she said.

Purnam Kumar Shaw, centre, with other BSF jawans after he was handed over by Pak Rangers via Attari-Wagah border in Punjab, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. He was apprehended by the Rangers on April 23 from along the Indo-Pak international border in Punjab.

(Photo: PTI)

Shaw was held for nearly three weeks as tensions between India and Pakistan continued to escalate, leading to a delay in repatriation talks.

BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw who was apprehended on April 23 by Pakistan, was handed over to India via the Attari-Wagah border front in Punjab on Wednesday.

(Photo: PTI)

Following his return, Shaw was taken for a medical examination and debriefing. Shaw, part of the BSF’s 182 Battalion, was deployed along the Punjab sector of the Indo-Pak border.